From their first poetic embodiment to recent translations into modern languages, the Homeric epics remain a constant source of inspiration for scholars and artists, transcending the boundaries of time and language.

The volume examines the impact and meaning of Homeric poetry, presenting information in a synthetic way that allows the reader to understand the different directions of Homeric studies. The work is structured around three main themes: Homeric song and text, the Homeric world, and Homer in the world.

Each section includes a series of extensive essays organized thematically, accompanied by shorter supplementary articles. In this way, the various paths of the Homeric epics in the ancient world and their enduring relevance in different eras and cultures are traced.

The structure is open, as readers can choose any of the essays as an entry point and navigate through various topics. The first section begins with the Homeric poems and addresses questions regarding their evolution and composition. It also explores the historical and cultural context in which Homeric poetry first emerged, including the myth and epic poetry of the Indo-Europeans and the ancient Near East.

The second focuses on the world depicted in Homeric poetry as we can connect it with the material culture from the famous archaeological sites of the Bronze Age – Troy, Mycenae, Pylos – up to the 8th century BC.

The final section turns to the reception of the Homeric poems from antiquity to the modern era, offering new perspectives on the reception of Homeric poetry by the ancient Greek world, medieval Europe, and Byzantium, the Renaissance, the early modern European and Greek worlds, reaching up to the present century.

• Corinne Ondine Pache is a professor of classical studies at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas.

• Antonis Regakos and Christos Tsangalis are professors of ancient Greek philology at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.